De match der groene truien uit de Ronde van Frankrijk

The Match of the Green Jerseys – Freddy Maertens vs. Rik Van Linden

Original Belgian event poster for a major track meeting at the Sportpaleis Antwerpen on Saturday 8 January 1977. The top of the sheet shouts SPORTPALEIS in bold black letters on white, with a bright red date panel reading “Zaterdag 8 Januari 1977” and noting the start times: 20.00 for the main program and 18.00 for the preliminary races. A red headline across the width announces “De match der groene truien uit de Ronde van Frankrijk,” the match of the green jerseys from the Tour de France, setting up a star sprint duel between Freddy Maertens and Rik Van Linden. The central billing reads “Fr. Maertens, wereldkampioen, tegen Rik Van Linden, de pijlsnelle Antwerpse vedette,” world champion Freddy Maertens against the lightning fast Antwerp star Rik Van Linden.

Black-and-white photos dominate the center of the design. On the left, Maertens wins a road sprint with arms raised in front of dense crowds. On the right, Van Linden is captured driving for the line with the peloton stretched out behind him. A vertical yellow bar between the photos, together with the black-and-yellow-red band above the lower text, echoes the Belgian flag and unifies the layout. The lower part of the poster announces the official Belgian amateur championship behind Dernys, “Officieel Kampioenschap van Belgie achter Dernymotoren, Liefhebbers,” along with additional races, including a junior pairs event. Admission prices and advance ticket details run along the bottom edge, and a Belgian fiscal stamp appears in the lower-right corner, validating the poster for public posting.

Belgian sprinter Freddy Maertens had just become professional world road race champion in 1976 and had also won the Tour de France points classification that year. Fellow Belgian Rik Van Linden won the Tour de France green jersey in 1975 and was one of the fastest finishers of his generation. Together, they gave Antwerp fans a rare indoor showdown between two recent Tour de France points winners, staged on one of Belgium’s most famous velodromes.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen-backed.

Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on very thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.

Year: 1977
Artist: N/A
Drukkerij: N.V. De Vlljt- Gazet van Antwerpen – 2000 Antwerpen

Size: 37 x 50.5 cm ( 14 ½  x19 ⅞  inches) – Linen Backed Archival Mounting

Posters are sold unframed. Framed images are display ideas only.

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please review the photos carefully to determine the condition.

This item is listed on multiple platforms, and availability is subject to prior sale elsewhere.